Over in the CHF message boards, I’ve posted my intentions to overhaul the Wikipedia ‘Flash animation‘ post. It’s woefully in need of repair and updating, and I think we’re just the community to take care of this situation. For starters, let’s figure out the timeline for Flash-animation on broadcast television. Why does this matter? To know where we’re going in our ‘paperless 2D’ industry, we need to know where we’ve come from. This is a great opportunity to cement the history of the rapidly-growing digital 2D medium.

In my mind, this first list should include any type of Flash animation on TV. This would include TV series, TV commercials, interstitials and even title sequences. Below is what I could come up with, but I’m expecting plenty of revisions and additions to this:

BROADCAST FLASH TIMELINE

2000

• Breakup Girl on Oxygen
• The Rosie O’Donnell Show title sequence, produced by Bullseye Art

2001

• Ollie’s Under The Bed Adventures – March 2001, a half-hour special on Teletoon produced entirely in Flash

by Collideascope

• Quads! – November 2001 on Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service network
• TV Warehouse – BBC program – title sequence done in Flash by Elephant Egg

2002

• The Proud Family Shorties – Hyperion Pictures under the Animobile label. Two episodes animated by Animax (The Beach and The Picnic)
• Home Movies – Season 2 – Season 1 was ‘squigglevision’
• Mucha Lucha – first US network Flash series
• The Mr. Dink Show – Canada’s first broadcast Flash production
• Bobinogs – on BBC Two Wales
• Don’t Call Me Judas – an animated music video by Bucket Truck produced entirely Flash

Next up:

Online Flash series
Feature-length Flash animation
Theatrical-release Flash animation

Greg and Myles McLeod, known as The Brothers McLeod, recently released ‘Danger Pies.’ It’s an unreleased PSA for the BBC which was animated for a web feature on that very topic. The BBC never used it, so it’s now ours to watch! The short was produced in Flash and then the brothers added a film effect in After Effects.

If you haven’t gone and watched parts 2 and 3 of their series ‘The M Man,’ you’re missing out.

David Firth, the creator of ‘Salad Fingers,’ recently created an intersticial animation for the BBC show ‘Screen Wipe.’ The piece is a spoof commercial for Twinkle Tits bras, and it featured David’s signature dark humor and hysterical reads.